Octavia Spencer stars in “Red Band Society”

Coming of age is never an easy thing. As youths become adolescents and begin to stretch their boundaries, they run into the adults who enforce limits for their own good. It's a topic that has been explored in literature, film and television as long as those mediums have existed, but Fox is putting a fresh -- if melancholic -- spin on the whole idea. Set in a pediatric ward, the dramedy "Red Band Society" will premiere on Wednesday, Sept. 17, on Fox.

"Red Band Society" goes inside a tumultuous world in which the adolescents are all struggling with serious illness, and their authority figures are the doctors and nurses who care for them. The show is based on the highly successful Spanish series "Polseres Vermelles" and was adapted by writer and producer Margaret Nagle ("Side Order of Life"). When she was young, Nagle's brother was in a lengthy coma. As a result, she spent a significant amount of time in hospitals and has a very personal connection with the world "Red Band Society" will bring to life.

In fact, Nagle's brother is represented in "Red Band Society" by one of the patients -- a young, comatose boy named Charlie, played by Griffin Cluck ("Private Practice"). Charlie isn't able to interact with the other characters directly, but the character has been developed with collaboration from the real Charlie -- Nagle's brother. Drawing from personal experience, the character Charlie will be able to hear conversations taking place around him. He will also act as narrator for the first season, giving viewers an inside look at the character that wouldn't otherwise be possible.

Additionally, all of the stories in the show will have some basis in reality. The younger cast members, along with Nagle and co-producer Justin Falvey ("Falling Skies"), visited pediatric wards to hear from real children living with and fighting against the illnesses they will portray. Those interactions have worked their way into the very fabric of the show, inspiring details for many of the characters' backgrounds.

It certainly seems like a grisly premise, but while at the Television Critics Association media tour this past summer, Nagle stressed that "pediatrics goes through age 24, and 85 per cent of all kids with any one of these diseases recover. It’s really about that time you spend in the hospital, how it changes you and what you learn … there are serious things that these kids have to face, but this is not a show with a body count."

Instead, "Red Band Society" examines the complex relationships these young people have with each other, as well as with their medical team. In a method similar to Netflix's "Orange is the New Black," the show will use flashbacks to give viewers insight into the lives of the juvenile patients before they lived in the hospital, as well as following them home after their stay. The personal lives of the health-care providers will also be explored, helping to flesh out characters who are forced to act a certain way by their professions.

Nolan Sotillo and Ciara Bravo in a scene from “Red Band Society”

Academy Award winner Octavia Spencer ("The Help," 2011) is stepping into the role of nurse Jackson. Along with Dr. Jack McAndrew (Dave Annable, "Brothers & Sisters"), nurse Jackson will attempt to balance the need to enforce rules with the need to let kids be kids. Their wards include Jordi Palacios (Nolan Sotillo, "Prom," 2011), Emma Chota (Ciara Bravo, "Big Time Rush") and Kara Souders (Zoe Levin, "The Way Way Back," 2013).

Chafing from their confinement in the hospital, the teens form friendships by breaking the rules in what has been described as a "Breakfast Club" fashion. Spencer pointed out another similarity to the beloved 1985 film in an interview with "The Daily Beast": "She’s sort of like the principal in 'The Breakfast Club.' My character is pretty strict, and it’s not sentimental or sad; it’s more life-affirming."

"Red Band Society" is one of several series in Fox's new premiere schedule that received commitments to develop an entire season. It's a new move for the network, and it looks like it could work out in "Red Band's" favor, especially since it wasn't guaranteed a whole season when the show's concept was first bandied about. "Red Band Society's" pilot was originally developed by another network, but it failed to pick up the series.

In early May, Fox chairman Kevin Reilly announced bold plans to reinvent Fox's pilot season. As it has always been, networks all premiere their new shows at the same time, and those that don't draw enough viewers get axed. Reilly proposed to do away with the feeding frenzy by distributing pilots throughout the year. This would quell the desperate sprint to stay on the air, and the network was poised to give more shows series commitments, spreading out fully developed concepts and seasons while giving them a chance to build an audience.

Later that month, however, Reilly announced he would be leaving the network. This throws the future of Fox's pilot schedule up in the air, although Reilly said in a interview with "The Hollywood Reporter," "I hope it's the beginning of a dialogue."

Whatever they're going to do in the future, Fox has committed to "Red Band Society." The heartwarming dramedy will bring together a cast of diverse characters who are all dealing with similar issues. Despite their differences, unexpected friendships and romances are bound to pop up. Come visit the pediatric ward in "Red Band Society" when the premiere airs Wednesday, Sept. 17, on Fox.